It's official.
The Catholic Knight is retired. I'm hanging up the helmet and passing the torch. There will be no more articles, no more commentaries, no more calls to action.
THIS BLOG IS CLOSED.
I've spent a very long time thinking about this, I believe the time has come, and is a bit overdue. I want to thank my readers for everything, but most especially for your encouragement and your willingness to go out there and fight the good fight.
So, that being the case, I've spend the last several weeks looking for bloggers who are fairly active, and best represent something akin to the way I think and what I believe. I recommend the following blogs for my readers to bookmark and check on regularly. Pick one as your favourite, or pick them all. They are all great.....

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Summorum Pontificum: Five Years Later

Cardinal Raymond Burke, who now lives in Rome, was formerly
the Archbishop of Saint Louis Missouri -- The Rome of the West

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: It's been five years! Hard to believe it. Nevertheless it is true, and it amazes me how much things have improved at the local level wherever the Traditional Latin Mass (Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite) is regularly celebrated. I had the privilege of attending the Traditional Latin Mass in Springfield Missouri recently and it was absolutely beautiful!!! It has been four years since the institution of the Extraordinary Form at the cathedral, and it amazes me how far it has come. From such humble beginnings, it is now coming of age, and there is a fluidity to it all that makes the whole thing just flow naturally. I am pleased with how things have turned out there, and any Catholic living in Springfield Missouri, who craves tradition, had better get his tail down to the cathedral and sit in on some of these. Within an hour, you'll be hooked.

In the English-speaking world, the pope has given us a double blessing with Anglicanorum Coetibus which came out in 2009. These are two "islands" of safe refuge from the liturgical mayhem that is common in most (but certainly not all) Novus Ordo (Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite) celebrations. On the one hand we have Latin Traditionalism, with the Extraordinary Form. On the other hand we have the rising English Traditionalism of the "Anglican Form" (a local friend recently told me of this novel expression). Technically, it's called the "Anglican Use of the Roman Rite," or some just call it the "Anglican Ordinariate Liturgy." For those who seek a more traditional style of Catholic worship, but feel the Latin is just a little too much for them, this is a suitable alternative. Here is just a quick sample...

From Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church
San Antonio Texas

In my opinion, there really is no better way to describe this wonderful form of worship than English Traditionalism. It is on par with Latin Traditionalism, but of course a little different, and entirely in English. There is also a lot of crossover between Latin Traditionalists and English Traditionalists, simply because they have so much in common. For example; a growing number of Anglican clergy who convert to Roman Catholicism, often choose to celebrate the Extraordinary Form in addition to the Anglican Use. Furthermore, a growing number of diocesan Catholic priests who regularly celebrate the Extraordinary Form have expressed some interest and curiosity over the Anglican Use. It is common for the same lay parishioners to be seen at both celebrations in any given month, when the two are available within close proximity. This is because the Anglican Use has many similar structures in common with the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, and there is good reason for that. The Traditional Anglican mass was actually modelled after the Extraordinary Form back when it was just called "the mass" during the late 18th to early 19th centuries!!! That's right. For nearly 200 years, traditional Anglicans have been keeping Catholic tradition more than regular Catholics for the last 40 years! So as Pope John Paul II brought this form of liturgy into the Catholic Church back in the 1980s (strictly in the United States at that time), it was only natural for there to be somewhat of a crossover between Latin Traditionalists and these English Traditionalists. After all, they are both Catholic Traditionalists for heaven's sake -- kindred spirits. Now that Pope Benedict XVI has expanded this to include the whole English-speaking world (Anglicanorum Coetibus - 2009), starting with the UK, US, Canada and Australia, we can (and should) expect more of this crossover which will serve as mutual enrichment for both groups and should theoretically accelerated the liturgical renewal of the English-speaking world.

The best advice I have for any Catholic, who craves more solemnity and tradition in his regular worship, is to get out there and support these groups -- both Latin and English. If you can find a Traditional Latin mass in your area, then go there! If you can find and Anglican Use mass, then go there! If you don't currently have both of these forms in your area, then find a prayer group that is working to get them, and support that group! Currently, in my area, when there was no Latin mass in our diocese, I occasionally attended small group meetings put on by Una Voce at the Library Centre in Springfield. Within two years we had the Latin mass at our cathedral no less than five times a week! The local chapter of Una Voce is now defunct, and that is something its founder rejoices in. The need simply no longer exists. Now a local friend is putting on weekly prayer group meetings for the Anglican Use in our area. I try to go to them whenever I can. It's been two years, but the ordinariate is still young, and it is still ordaining priests. So we are waiting. Again, I am supporting my local Traditionalist group. It worked for Latin Traditionalism in our area five years ago. There is no reason to believe it won't work for English Traditionalism now. I can't stress this enough. If you want Tradition back in your area, then get off your duff and do something about it. It's not hard, and you don't have to be a leader. Chances are there are already leaders out there -- right in your region. All you need to do is support them. If you don't have a Traditional Latin Mass in your area, and you want one, try to find a local chapter of Una Voce, or else find a small group of people who share your desire, and start one! If you don't have a Traditional English Mass (Anglican Use of the Roman Rite) in your area, then find an Anglican ordinariate prayer group in your area, and start attending their meetings! If you can't find one, see if you can find some Catholics and Anglicans willing to start one. It can be done. It's not hard.

In the end, what it really comes down to is YOU. The Holy Father has provided us with all the tools we need in Summorum Pontificum and Anglicanorum Coetibus. If you're reading this right now, there is a good chance you have a love for tradition, as most of my readers do. So ask yourself; are you part of a Latin or English traditionalist group? Are you supporting a local Tridentine or Anglican Use mass? What are YOU doing to change this mess in the Church today? Or are you just sitting back, reading Internet blogs, wondering when somebody else is going to do it for you?

Patroness Of This Blog

Our Lady of Fatima

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT is an OPINION EDITORIAL Web Log (Blog) of one Catholic man based on religion, philosophy, politics, culture, news and current events. All written materials contained herein are the personal opinions of the blogger and those who comment. These should in no way be construed as official commentary from any Catholic diocese, parish or apostolate.

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